The applicant intends to study the regulation of glucose metabolism by isolated fat cells from various mammalian species under normal conditions of growth and development and also in conditions of obesity which is accompanied by insulin resistance and diminished response of the cells to insulin. Elucidation of abnormal rates of metabolism or alterations in the regulatory mechanisms in fat cells from obese animals may allow a better understanding of the pathophysiology of obesity and lead to new forms of therapeutic interventions in obesity, thus retarding or preventing the medical complications associated with obesity.